


Second Chances

by ZaliaChimera



Series: The Day After the Apocalypse [3]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Advice, Affection, Alcohol, Awkward Conversations, Complicated Relationships, Friendship, Healing, Hope, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Mental Health Issues, No Apocalypse, Reconciliation, Recovery, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 11:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20406715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaliaChimera/pseuds/ZaliaChimera
Summary: The day after the apocalypse, Georgie Barker receives a phone call.Reconnecting is hard when you don't know what is waiting for you. But sometimes, maybe there's a chance for a happy ending.





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> A series of shorter fics, of characters adjusting to being human once more and dealing with the changed world. The end of the world came, and went, and now there is just the aftermath.

Georgie hates that the first thing she feels when she sees the number calling her, is dread. Not surprise, and it’s been a long time since she could muster hope, just dread. She’s been bracing herself for this call for- for months honestly. Ever since she’d walked out of the hospital room. It’s the call that says that Jon is gone. Maybe dead for real, maybe past some point of no return, so there’s nothing left of Jon at all.

It keeps ringing, and finally she answers it. “Hello?”

The word comes out sharp and wary, expecting the worst. Expecting worse than she can imagine, honestly.

“Georgie…”

It’s Jon’s voice, breathy and disbelieving and so hopeful that it breaks her heart.

“Jon, we talked about this,” she says. “You shouldn’t be calling me.” She feels cruel, like the worst person in the world. But just hearing him makes her want to help, and that means getting dragged into his terrible, horrifying world and she cannot do that. If she lets herself slip into his wake, then she knows that there is no escape.

“I- I know,” Jon says. “I know but- Georgie…” His voice cracks on her name and she hears him take a painful, shuddering breath. 

“Jon, are you- are you okay?” She can’t help it, and the question bursts out of her. He sounds like he’s crying. Jon doesn’t cry.

“I- uh- Georgie I- I think I got my second chance.”

She can’t breathe. The air goes still in her chest. The whole world presses in tight against her. How is she supposed to believe what she’s just heard? 

“What does that mean, Jon?” It’s the only thing that she can think to ask. 

“It- it means it’s over,” Jon says and his voice gains conviction as he speaks. “No more monsters. No more dark gods. No more Archivist.”

It sounds impossible, too good to be true. Too much to hope for when she remembers Jon pale and unbreathing on a hospital bed. When she remembers him waking up as though he hadn’t been dead for six months. When she’s known about monsters since a dead woman whispered into her ear.

“And you? What about you?”

“I’m free,” Jon says. He sounds like he doesn’t believe it himself. “I’m not the Archivist any more. I’m just Jon now. All of us are free. Me and Martin and- and Melanie and the others. It’s really over, Georgie. All of it.”

She lets out a breath filled with lead weights. “Christ Jon. You don’t do things by halves.”

He chuckles then, warm and real and she aches hearing it. She’s missed him. The prickly bastard always had been good at worming his way into her affections. “Apparently not. Look, I know I’m not supposed to call, and if you don’t want anything to do with me, I understand. But would you like to go for a drink with me and Martin?”

Part of her wants to say no. Jon had thrown himself back not her life once before, and she’d had to watch him change and lean into self destruction. But if he is telling the truth, and she wants to believe it, then-

“Alright. When?”

“Whenever,” Jon replies. “We’ve both found ourselves with a lot of free time now that we are no longer associated with the Magnus Institute.”

That’s another point in his favour. Even if he’s no longer serving whatever creepy entity had claimed him, she wouldn’t have been surprised to find that he was still working there, clinging to that dubious stability.

“Tonight then. That fancy pub near my place. The Oak Cask.”

“The hipster bar?” Jon says, and he sounds so disapproving and dry that she has to laugh. That’s Jon alright.

“It’s a nice place, Jon.”

“Very well,” he replies, his tone making it clear that he disagrees. “Seven?”

“That works. I’ll see you then.”

“Right. Thank you.”

There’s an awkward pause. Neither of them quite know what to say. It probably isn’t anything that should be said over the phone anyway. “Good bye Jon.”

She hangs up and stares at her phone for a few seconds. She hopes that she isn’t making a mistake.

—————

To be fair, the Oak Cask is pretty hipster. It has those metal stools and bare bulb lighting, but they do have a nice selection of beers and snacks. Georgie arrives early so she can stake out a table, and she sips at her pint until she sees Jon’s familiar gangling figure. He holds the door open for Martin to enter too. She doesn’t stand up immediately, just watches the way that Martin’s hand slides into Jon’s, and the way that Jon leans in towards him. It’s new, but not entirely unexpected.

She raises a hand and waves and Jon smiles when he spots her, actually goddam smiles like this is all he’s ever wanted. 

“Hello Georgie,” he says. He doesn’t go in for a hug though, just looks awkward. Georgie gets that feeling. It is awkward. She shifts her weight from foot to foot, and then decides fuck it. He’s alive and maybe free and she’s _missed_ him. She steps in and wraps her arms around him in a deep hug. He stiffens in her arms for a second, and then melts against her, arms coming up to circle around her back. He buries his face against her shoulder then, and that’s a surprise. Not a bad one though. 

“I missed you,” is whispered against her collarbone.

Finally they part and she just looks at him. He still looks exhausted, and the dark circles around his eyes might be permanent, but he’s lost that hungry look that he had after waking from the coma. His eyes are the same warm grey that she remembers from when they’d dated, and it no longer feels like part of him is calculating how many secrets he could strip away from her.

“It’s good to see you again, Georgie,” Martin says softly, and she turns his attention to him. She thinks he looks better too; less pale and more… solid. They’re not exactly up to hugging levels of friendly though, and after a moment of awkwardness, Georgie sits back down and gestures for them to join her.

“So…” she begins, and looks between them expectantly.

They share a glance, some silent communication passing between them that Georgie cannot read. Then Martin gives Jon’s shoulder a little squeeze and stands up again. “I’ll give you two a moment.”

Jon nods, and the shy, grateful little smile he gives Martin makes her ache. He turns back to her and reaches up to push strands of too-long hair out of his face. He could really use a haircut but somehow she thinks that hasn’t been at the top of his list of priorities.

“I should apologise,” Jon begins. 

“Probably,” Georgie says, and now he’s close and focussed she can see the lines around his eyes and mouth are deeper, and the grey twists through his hair like silvery chains. She lets out a sigh. “I’ll settle for an explanation though.”

“Right. I can- yes, I can do that.” But he doesn’t continue, doesn’t seem to know where to begin.

“Let’s start with the basics,” Georgie says. Facts, practical things. They can do that. Jon shoots her a grateful look. “You said you were free. What does that mean exactly?”

“I- I am no longer bound to the Archives or the Magnus Institute, either by contract for by less mundane means. And I’m- I’m human. Pretty sure anyway. I could show you if you want? I bleed when I-“

“No,” Georgie says quickly. The eagerness in his vice to show her, to hurt himself to prove it, is uncomfortable. “No, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Oh,” Jon says, and he hides his hands in his lap. 

“I’m glad,” George says. “Just worried. What if more monsters try to find you?” Things like the dead woman, like the worms and puppets and ghosts that Melanie had told her about. 

Jon meets her gaze, and there is a serious, determined look on his face. “They won’t,” he says, with the same solid certainty that she remembers from university seminars. “They’re gone.”

“What do you mean, ‘gone’?” she asks. “I thought they were servants of eternal dark gods or something. That doesn’t sound like something you just get rid of.”

“It does if you can seal them out of reality,” Jon says.

“Christ Jon,” Georgie says. She scrubs her hands over her face for a moment. How do you even begin to process that sort of thing? It’s not like there’s a helpful YouTube tutorial for this sort of thing. 

“I- I thought you’d be happier,” Jon says, and when she drops her hand, there’s this scared, vulnerable expression on his face. It’s easy to forget a lot of the time, that beneath the sharp words and stuffiness, he’s a bit younger than she is, and just as lost and confused by the nebulous process of adulthood. Probably more considering the stuff he’s been involved in.

“I am happy,” she says, and manages a smile that becomes genuine the longer she wears it. “It’s just a lot to take in, you know?”

“I- yes. Yes I do know,” Jon says. His expression softens, smile curling at the edges of his lips. “It’s been my life for years, and now it’s over. Just… gone.” His voice twists on the words, tone filled with grief and relief in equal measure.

“Are you okay?“ God, that sounds trite. It isn’t okay. None of this has been okay.

“No,” Jon says bluntly. “I’m not okay. But- but I think I could be. One day.” He sounds so earnest that Georgie believes him. There is nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

“I really hope so, Jon,” she says. “And please, get some help.”

Jon scoffs. “What am I going to say? ‘I nearly ended the world and I’m a bit sad about it’? I’ll be fine.”

Well, at least that hasn’t changed. Georgie purses her lips tight together. He’s always been like this, refusing help, refusing options because some perverse part of him _wants_ to suffer. “Melanie managed it,” she says sharply and continues before he can object. “You’re smart. You’ll figure something out. I’m glad you’ve got a second chance Jon, but for god’s sake don’t waste it.”

He looks like he’s going to protest, his lips parted in that twist that means he wants to argue, wants to _start_ and argument because it’s so much easier than dealing with actual emotions. Thankfully, Martin returns and Jon is distracted by the drink placed in front of him. The look that he gives Martin is open and adoring, the kind of look that he’d given her once upon a time. And Martin looks at him the same way.

It’s sweet. And she’s glad that he has someone. God knows he needs people, needs connections. But something about it sparks unease. Maybe it’s because she’s seen Jon at his worst in a relationship. Maybe it’s because she remembers her argument with Martin far too clearly to be comfortable with the devotion on his face.

Maybe it’s none of her business. 

“So, what are you going to do now?” she asks. “Jon said you aren’t tied to the Institute anymore.”

“I don’t- I’m not actually sure yet,” Martin admits. His shoulders hunch a bit. “It’s a bit weird. Not used to free time. And we’ll have to get jobs at some point.”

“We’ve got enough saved up to last us a while. And I arranged a generous severance package,” Jon hastens to add. “We’ve got time.”

“Yes but-“ Martin begins, and then shakes his head, chewing on his lip. The sense of unease Georgie had been feeling grows a bit. “Right. It’ll be fine.” He smiles a little, fingers going to brush over Jon’s. “It’s been nice catching up with things,” he says, sounding a bit more genuine. “Like books. I’d basically forgotten that books about things other than the supernatural existed.”

“We’re going to go London zoo,” Jon says, and he sounds so pleased about it, about this normal mundane excursion that Georgie has to smile. She hasn’t heard him sound like that in a long time. “Spend the whole day there and get lunch and- and nothing bad will happen.”

“It’ll be nice” Martin agrees. “I never really- um- never had time before to go.”

It sounds lovely. It sounds _normal_, and she can’t begrudge them that. 

“How about you?” Jon asks. “How are things? I know we didn’t- I am sorry.”

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t have taken you checking up on me well. Things are fine. I’m going away on a trip for the podcast at the weekend.” She pauses, considering. “Actually, I was thinking of asking Melanie to come along. Is she-“

“She should be free, same as everyone,” Jon says solemnly. “I don’t think the Institute can keep anyone prisoner anymore. No more magic and dark gods.” 

That’s a relief. “Have you spoken to her since… since whatever went down?”

“I texted her,” Jon says, “when it was over. Just to let her know. Didn’t get a response though. Have you not heard from her?”

“Sort of,” Georgie says. “I checked if she wanted to get coffee after her therapy session, and she agreed so… guess I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

Jon nods slowly. “That’s a good idea. I think she’s probably just tired. I was. We both were. Turns out remaking the world is exhausting.”

“Understatement of the year,” Georgie replies. And of course it would be Jon Sims who ended up in this situation. 

It gets easier after that, like some sort of ice has been broken between them. They talk about simple things, easy things, the books they’ve read recently, the dreadful movie they watched on Netflix. Even Martin thaws, and she thinks she can see why Jon likes him. He’s smart and sweet but there’s a core of stubbornness in him that’s vital when dealing with Jon. And they obviously adore each other. 

She still worries.

Which is why when Jon heads up to the bar to buy them another round, she turns her full attention on Martin. He’s staring after Jon like he’s worried he’s going to disappear, which to be fair is not an unreasonable concern after what they’ve been through. That conversation they’d had though, when she’d picked up Melanie, it keeps circling in her head.

“I’m glad you worked things out between you,” she says.

Martin startles like he’d forgotten she was there, and turns to her. His eyes are wide and for a moment he looks very confused about why she’s speaking to him. “Oh, uh- thank you?”

Georgie smiles, tries to look as reassuring as she can. “It’s good. I’m glad you have each other.”

“I’m just glad he’s okay,” Martin replies. “All of us really but-“

But Jon more than anyone else. She doesn’t need special powers to be able to tell that. She mulls her next words over for a moment. She hasn’t forgotten the way he’d vanished on her last time they’d spoken at the institute. He can’t do that now but she wouldn’t put it past him to bolt.

“Can I offer you some advice Martin?” she asks. 

The look he gives her is the wariness she’s seen in rescued animals at the shelter she sometimes visits. “What is it?”

“Don’t build the entirety of your life around Jon.”

His expression twists into something angry, but it’s gone a moment later, replaced with a look that is smooth and placid and a little unnerving honestly. “I’m not leaving him. I know you don’t want him around but I _do_.”

It stings, and she feels anger creep up the back of her neck. But no. She isn’t trying to argue with him. She forces the feeling down. “I’m not saying you should break up with him. You obviously love him. And he loves you. I’m happy for you. You both need people.”

That seems to mollify him, and the warmth bleeds back into his expression. “Then what?” 

“Jon is- magnetic. I mean, once you get past the shield he puts up.” The arrogance and condescension, the need to push people away before they have a chance to push him away. Martin gives a soft snort that might be a laugh and is definitely agreement. “He just has a way of drawing you in and sweeping you along and it is very easy to let him become your whole world. Trust me. I did that for a while.”

“Would that really be so bad?” Martin asks. 

“Yes,” is Georgie’s blunt response. “Even if all the supernatural bullshit is over, even if it’s the best relationship in the world, you need other people. If nothing else, at some point you are going to need someone outside the relationship to complain to when Jon gets snippy about what order the books are in. Or to go have Hungarian food with.”

Martin’s nose wrinkles, and she can tell he’s about to focus on that , so she continues before he can break her flow. “And on top of _that_, you both have a lot of trauma to process. Everything that place put you through. And Jon- Jon wallows in his problems.”

“I- I might have noticed that,” Martin admits, although it sounds grudging.

“Hard not to sometimes,” Georgie replies lightly. “What I mean is… you need an anchor. Something outside of the relationship so that you don’t get dragged down with him. And so you can help pull him back up if you need to. Don’t set yourself on fire to keep Jon Sims warm, Martin.”

He stares at her for a moment before lowering his gaze to the table top, his thumb following the line of one of the knots in the wood. “I think you’re right,” he admits after a few moments. “I tried burning myself up for him and- well, it didn’t fix things.” He chews on his lip again and Georgie gives him the time to think. “I just never thought we’d get this. That _I’d_ get this. I mean god, I’ve loved him for- for a long time and now we have this chance and- it’s hard to think of the future just yet. Is it wrong to just want to enjoy things for a while?”

“God no,” Georgie says. Impulsively she reaches over to pat his hand. “I think you’ve earned it. I just don’t want you to have this chance and not be able to enjoy it.” Genuine second chances don’t come along every day. And she wants them to have the chance to be happy. 

Martin is silent for long enough that it lapses into awkwardness, until he finally nods, obviously deciding something. “Thanks. And thanks for taking care of Jon back when- when he needed to hide.”

“It was good to see him again honestly and-“

“Are you talking about me? I think my ears are burning.” 

Jon sets down the drinks in front of them and slides back into his chair. His hand immediately goes to Martin’s, and he laces their fingers together. Martin gets this little flush on his cheeks. He looks so pleased.

“Only the bad things,” Georgie says.

Jon snorts. “I can’t possibly have been at the bar long enough to get through all of that.”

It’s a couple of hours and a few drinks later when they finally stand up to leave. Martin curls against Jon’s side and Jon’s arm slides around him. There’s a flush on Jon’s cheeks that isn’t all alcohol. Georgie almost wants to take a photo of them to remember this in case- no. It’s over isn’t it? No more risk to them beyond the risks inherent in being human.

God, that’s a weird thought.

“Well ah- we should let you head off,” Jon says.

“I do have to work tomorrow,” she replies. 

“Well I- Maybe we’ll see you again?” There is an expression of painful hope on Jon’s face, expecting it to be dashed.

Part of her thinks she should refuse, just in case. She hadn’t been exaggerating with what she’d said to Martin; it’s so easy to get caught up in Jon, and no matter how grounded he seems right now, you don’t come out of everything he has without some trauma. But god it had been good to talk to him again, to see him look healthier than he has in ages. 

“You have my number,” she says. “Why don’t we get lunch sometime next week?”

He lights up like she’s just granted some beautiful wish. She’ll have to take things slowly and carefully but she wants to hope that things can be better.“Great! And ah- say hi to the Admiral for me? And let me know if Melanie is okay?”

“I’ll let you know if she says it’s okay,” Georgie says firmly. That’s a trust she’s not about to break.

Jon nods. “Of course. I understand. It’s been good to see you Georgie.”“You too Jon, and Martin. Get home safe, okay?”

There’s that awkward moment when no-one moves, waiting for some silent signal. Finally Martin tugs at Jon’s arm. “Come on, Jon.”

Martin flashes Georgie a smile. “Night Georgie.”And then they’re gone, walking away towards the tube. Georgie watches after them until they’re out of sight. 

For the first time since Jon Sims woke up from the coma, she thinks that things might be okay.


End file.
